Field of the Embodiments of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to danger avoidance systems and, more specifically, to modifying an audio panorama to indicate the presence of danger or other events of interest.
Description of the Related Art
Conventional danger avoidance systems employ a wide variety of different auditory or visual signaling techniques to notify a user that danger is imminent. For example, a proximity sensor within an automobile may emit a loud beeping noise when the automobile approaches within a certain distance of another object, thereby notifying the driver that a collision is imminent. Alternatively, a heads-up display integrated with the cockpit of an aircraft may visually highlight objects in the vicinity of the aircraft, thereby notifying the pilot that a collision is imminent. The auditory and visual signals generated by such conventional systems generally augment the perception of the user by introducing additional sensory information into the environment of the user. The additional sensory information is meant to alert the user to the presence of danger.
One drawback with the above approach is that introducing additional sensory information into the environment of the user can distract or startle the user. Consequently, the user may become overwhelmed with input and lose focus on the task at hand, which, in turn, may exacerbate an already dangerous situation.
As the foregoing illustrates, more effective techniques for indicating the presence of danger or other events of interest to a user would be useful.